PM threatens Greens: We will go it alone

By VERNON SMALL

The Prime Minister lashed out at the Greens last night, saying their threat to bring down the next Government over the GM moratorium made her more determined to see Labour govern alone after the election.

The Greens declared that a continued ban on the commercial release of GM organisms is likely to be a non-negotiable condition of their support for the next Government.

Helen Clark said: "This is the kind of thing which brings small parties into disrepute. It's ridiculous to hold Governments to ransom over single issues, and it will simply redouble my determination to campaign for two ticks for Labour."

The Greens' stance was the kind of thing people were concerned about under MMP, "small parties being the tail that wags the dog".

The party's seven MPs yesterday walked out of Parliament in protest at the law introducing a two-year moratorium on the commercial release of GM organisms.

They said that, although they backed the moratorium, they could not agree to it ending in October next year.

Co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons increased the political heat, saying the party's conference next month would consider a recommendation to vote against any Government that lifted the moratorium.

Helen Clark said that ultimatum would mean the Greens could not vote for any Government.

"In the end people are going to look at them and say, 'Are they going to be relevant?' It's more momentum for a majority Government."

Ms Fitzsimons said she expected the conference to back the move and believed Labour could agree.

"If Labour wants to govern and they need us, they will agree to that.

"As long as that moratorium is in place it will be possible for us to work with a Labour Government. Once it's lifted it won't be."

Asked if the moratorium was negotiable, Helen Clark said Labour had a clear policy - a constraint period while other measures were put in place.

"New Zealand will have probably the strictest regime in the world for assessing genetic modification issues ... and to go any further than that would be cutting off your nose to spite your face. We have taken a path right down the middle."

Labour's approach was to be precautionary while not turning its back on science.

The Greens' stance would boost Labour's chances of governing alone.

Ms Fitzsimons said the Greens could give a Labour-led Government interim support on confidence after the election if no agreement on GM was struck. But it would then vote against the Government once the moratorium ended.

The threat would take effect only after the election, so there was ample time for the public to decide whether they wanted a majority Labour Government "which will release genetically engineered organisms into our farms and our environment and our food", or one constrained by the Greens.

"That will be the voters' choice."